


Tokyo in Spring

by namsienne (nam_joon)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Art, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 05:23:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9369866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nam_joon/pseuds/namsienne
Summary: Yuuri is finally accepted into his dream college as an arts major in Tokyo. Here he meets his role model, Victor, who he has looked up to for a long time and who inspired him to paint in the first place. In college he makes an amazing and very positive friend named Phichit.His biggest wish is to become a respected artist and develop his own style,but he often stumbles over his own low selfesteem.Will he be able to proudly show his artwork and do more than merely nod at his role model, Victor, in the hallways?





	1. New Beginnings

Before getting his acceptance letter to college, Yuuri was nervously fumbling around the house, lying on his bed, looking up at the drawing of Tokyo in May drawn by one of his favorite artists on Deviantart. His name online was CallMeVic and he had a massive following. 

Once he commented on one of Yuuri's artworks. He didn't have many uploaded to the site, though, as he felt he was lacking talent compared to most other artists he saw. CallMeVic gave him a few pointers to make better drawings. 

Yuuri still remembered the day he saw the notification pop up, his heart was racing fast and he felt a little nauseous, so he kept making up excuses not to look at it. What if it was going to be a huge let-down for him? 

What if CallMeVic was one of those people who always tell him his art was terrible? 

At some point he got annoyed with how hesitant he was and looked at the comment. To his delight CallMeVic was respectful and constructive. He lived up to every expectation Yuuri had of him. 

 

Suddenly Yuuri's thoughts were interrupted by his mother and father yelling for him to come down from his room. 

His heart once again racing in anticipation, he sprinted off and finally stood with the letter that would determine his future in his hands.

 

This was it.

 

Slowly he opened it and he sighed in relief.

 

He finally got in. 

 

In happy moments like these he couldn't help but miss his little companion and loyal friend: his dog, Vic. If he was still there, he would surely be barking and running around joyfully with Yuuri.  It had taken him a couple of tries to get into college and he had worked part-time jobs as a cashier to support the family while he lived at home.

 

 

Finally moving to college campus Yuuri was excited and also scared. 

He had never lived anywhere else but home and he wasn’t sure if he was able to survive without his mother’s wonderful pork cutlet bowls. His parents and him parted ways after getting Yuuri settled and he spent the rest of the day imagining the next week. 

Monday quickly rolled around and it was introduction week. One of his Seniors, Victor, was showing him and some other new students around. In one of the hallways Victor’s painting was displayed. 

He had won the annual spring competition and the first price was having your artwork displayed in university and, if you were lucky, even sold. The style felt familiar to Yuuri.

“I think I’ve seen this style before, were you inspired by someone in particular Victor?” 

Victor looked surprised, but answered calmly “No, it’s a style I’ve developed over the years, it’s inspired by many great artists but I think I’ve managed to make my own style.” 

“I must be mistaken then, I could’ve sworn I have seen painting with a similar style to this before.” 

Victor stepped confidently closer to Yuuri, looked down to him and said: “Maybe you have, even before I studied here I uploaded my artworks to Deviantart.” 

Yuuri was flabbergasted once he realised where he had seen this style before. 

Nervously he stuttered “So,” he started off nervously, “yo-you’re CallMeVic?” Victor smiled and nodded, “Vic is short for Victor, I wasn’t very creative when I was younger.” 

He laughed and continued the tour around campus.  Yuuri felt nervous around him suddenly, he was his biggest inspiration and idol. 

Something about Victor’s paintings spoke to him and inspired him to paint as well. 

 

 

As the week passed Victor and Yuuri met a few times on campus, only nodding to each other to acknowledge each other’s existence briefly when passing the other. 

 

 

On Thursday Yuuri went around the city close to his campus looking for jobs. 

He knew getting through college wouldn’t be easy, especially not when it came to money. Some places were still looking for new employees as last year’s graduates had stopped working there after graduation. 

Amongst the shops he found, there was a tiny café that had walls plastered with artwork. 

There were posters, paintings, framed typography. At a first glance it might have seemed careless and littered with arbitrary artwork, but when you looked closer there were typography pieces with positive messages, photographs of people smiling and paintings of soothing sceneries. 

No table or chair was the same, they all looked like they were second-hand. 

Yuuri went inside and tried to find the manager, which was a woman in her 40s. 

 

They talked and Yuuri explained he was looking for a job. It appeared she had studied art in the same college many years ago, she felt that her art  needed a purpose, which is why she created the café. 

It was supposed to be a safe space, a space for inspiration and positivity. The owners name was Minako. She knew that a single-shared-bedroom could quickly be too crammed for students and understood that a safe space outside of Campus was exactly what she yearned for as a student herself as well.

After explaining to him what the café meant to her, she asked if he wanted to work there. He agreed to start working starting the next day after classes. 

 

 

Yuuri worked hard and so naturally, time flew by in the blink of an eye. He occasionally nodded to Victor when they met, but they didn’t have any greater interaction until then.

 

 

In class Yuuri had found a friend named Phichit, he came from Thailand to study art as well. 

It was his biggest passion and his parents weren’t too accepting of it, but as he got accepted he promised he’d try to make a living out of it. Phichit and Yuuri quickly became friends and aided each other support when they felt they had lost inspiration and their art was turning into trash. 

Yuuri, especially, had days where he had lower self-esteem, when he truly felt that a four year old could surely paint better than him. 

Those days, Yuuri often thought about quitting college and doing something with a future, something with job security.

But Phichit kept him going, they were each other’s support system.

 

Autumn turned to winter, and winter turned to spring. 

Finals weren’t easy on him or Phichit. They spend many nights in the library studying, if they weren’t studying there, they were in the café Yuuri worked at, or they were in their bedroom. 

Yuuris’ roommate didn’t mind changing rooms, luckily. 

 

Without even knowing it, Yuuri had adjusted to campus life.

 

Once a week he called his parents to hear how it was going or, at least, he was calling once a week when he just had moved. 

Sometimes he’d call more than once, simply because he felt homesick. 

Phichit believed in Yuuris’ talent, he knew that there was so much potential that Yuuri had yet to see for himself as well. It was a shame he had such low confidence and was so insecure. 

 

When classes started again in spring, there was the annual competition to get your artwork displayed in university. 

Secretly he had been practicing his art-style for a concept of a painting he was working on. It had to be just right, he needed to find his style, just like Victor had. Yuuri felt terrified bringing his painting up to the submission counter, but there was no turning back now. 

He had worked so hard for this moment and he knew if only he had more time, he could’ve made it better, he could’ve perfected it. 

That all didn’t matter now, all that mattered was the quality of the other’s artworks. 

What if his painting paled in comparison to theirs? 

Sweat drops were rolling down Yuuri’s face, his expression was filled with fear, fear of failure. Unable to move he just stood there, waiting for the judges, consisting of lecturers from his classes, to make their decision. 

 

He felt a warm, big hand on his shoulder. 

“Hello Yuuri,” the owner of the warm hand greeted. 

His heart rate slowed down. 

“Are you nervous?” he asked. He could feel his airways tighten and his eyes hurting. He sniffled and looked up to the warm hand. 

“No, no, not at all,” he said, trying to sound convincing, “but thank you for worrying about me, Victor.”

Victor nodded understandingly and tightened the grip of his hand for a short moment. “Yuuri, you have to be more confident in your work,” he said and let go of Yuuris shoulder, “let me know if you’ve won.” 

Walking away in his confident stride Victor left Yuuri on his own with his nervousness and anxiety once again flaring up.

 

He sat down on a bench near him, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to relax. It didn’t matter if he won, but he wanted to win. 

He really wanted to win. 

Something heavy was suddenly leaning on his shoulder, so Yuuri opened his eyes to look. His roommate Phichit was leaning his head on Yuuris shoulder.  
“Oh, it’s just you,” Yuuri said relieved.  
“Who else would it be? Have you made a new best friend I haven’t met, yet?”     
“No, no,” Yuuri laughed nervously, “it’s just… Victor was here earlier.”   
“Hmm,” Phichit hummed understandingly. They both stayed like this until the results were put up on the board and all the happy cheers, sad and angry outcries were over and no one else was looking at the results anymore. “Are you ready to go and look, Yuuri?” Phichit asked. 

 

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready,” he admitted. 

Phichit stood up, stretching out his hand to Yuuri. 

For a second he wavered, but grabbed Phichits hand eventually and walked over to the board. They both read the board carefully, sure not to miss Yuuris name anywhere. 

 

 

But it was nowhere to be found.

 

 

He wasn’t amongst the top three, his painting didn’t win. 

 

 

“Please don’t be discouraged,” Phichit said, trying to cheer him up, “most of the people who won are almost finished studying, we’ll be just as good when we get there as well. It’s okay that you didn’t win, but you tried! That’s what matters, Yuuri.” 

He sighed and mustered up the courage to smile half-heartedly at Phichit. “You’re right, Phichit,” he said, trying to keep his smile 

“thank you for being such a good friend.” He sighed out heavily.  
“Wanna go and grab a coffee or a tea?” Phichit offered “I’ll buy.”

Yuuri agreed to go. 

 

 

When they got to the café where Yuuri worked someone was already sitting in a corner. 

Upon coming closer to the café Yuuri recognised him, it was Victor.  

Great, 

he’d have to explain his failure to his role model as well. 

As they entered the shop Victor looked up from the book he was reading and immediately eyed Yuuri.  
“So, how did it go?” Victor asked him. 

Yuuris heart rate began to speed up and he swallowed hard.  
He didn’t look at Victor. “I…” he began, tears welling up in his eyes, his voice breaking “I didn’t win.” 

 

Victor put down his book and went over to hug Yuuri tightly. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. 

Yuuri let out a single agonised cry and leaned into Victors shoulder. 

 

“I’m sorry, too.” Yuuri admitted quietly. 

 


	2. Bona Fides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri finds himself accepting a present of a dear friend that leads to an unforgettable experience.

Phichit had already made an emergency plan, it would’ve worked whether Yuuri had won or not.

Victor, Phichit and Yuuri talked throughout the afternoon, discussing Yuuri’s painting.

Slowly Yuuri felt the failure sink in.

The initial cozy blanket of the shock had left him and it felt as if what he had been working for, for so long, had been ripped out under him.

 

What if he was _never_ going to be good enough?

 

He leaned back into the chair and let out a heavy sigh, which interrupted Phichit and Victor’s discussion about their favourite artists. They both looked at Yuuri, who just shrugged his shoulders and sighed once more.

“Yuuri, I knew you wouldn’t be too happy if you lost, and, well, either way, I thought we could go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, it is actually close to here. I know you’ve always wanted to go there ever since you’ve moved to Tokyo, you just didn’t have a chance to go, yet.”

Yuuris eyes lit up ever so slightly, but he let out another heavy sigh.

“I know,” Phichit admitted “I know you were busy preparing to win. But let’s just go, let’s get inspired by other people’s art.” 

 

 

Yuuri’s and Phichit’s eyes met and Yuuri couldn’t hold back a laugh looking at his friend trying desperately to cheer him up.

“So you thought of this in advance?”

“Yes,” he admitted, which made Yuuri laugh even more.

“You were prepared for me to win, weren’t you?” Yuuri said, after letting out a last chuckle.

“I told you,” Phichit said, shrugging his shoulders, “I believe in your talent.” 

“Thank you,” Yuuri responded genuinely and asked “so should we just head out, then?”

Victor was left in the chair he sat in when the two freshmen came into the café.

“Can I tag along?” he asked as they were opening the door, “I’m quite a regular there, I’d love to show you around, if you don’t mind.” 

Phichit looked at Yuuri with a raised eyebrow, Yuuri was looking into Victor’s direction and gave Phichit a quick, pleading look.

“I don’t mind,” Phichit said, “just tag along.”

Already then, Phichit knew he’d have to come up with a good excuse to leave early.

He knew how much Victor’s artworks meant to Yuuri, if anyone could cheer him up and motivate him, it would be Victor.

 

 

 

He guided the way for the freshmen to the museum, luckily it was not far from university or the café.   
The way to the museum was paved by a beautiful park with a few blooming cherry trees.

Through the flower petals Yuuri felt the sun on his skin, he breathed in deeply and smelled a faint, sweet scent of flowers.

The entrance of the museum broke this picture of nature in the midst of Tokyo with more concrete and a mirroring sphere near the entrance of it.  
A few people were taking pictures with the mirroring sphere. 

Inside the museum Victor led the way and showed them both his favourite works of the current exhibition.

He elaborated on why he liked them and asked the boys for their opinions.

After an hour of walking through the museum Phichit whispered to Yuuri“Hey, I just have to go to the toilet. I’ll be right back, just continue on without me,” and walked away to the toilets which were nearby. Victor was confused for a second, but quickly caught on to Phichit’s destination. 

“Should we wait for him here?” he asked Yuuri.

He shrugged “He said to just continue on without him, but I think we should wait.”

They both sat down at the nearest bench and looked at a painting from Yamada Masaaki.

 

“It looks like bottles of wine, I guess, and some wine glasses filled with wine, though, one of them looks like a coffee cup.” 

“Yeah, you think so?” Victor answered him and continued

“What do you feel looking at this?”

Yuuri looked at the painting for a couple of minutes and answered “I feel like the colours could both make me feel like it’s both a warm and a cold evening, it could feel very homely and warm, but it could also feel sad and cold. It depends on what state of mind you’re in when you look at it, I guess.” 

Victor nodded and hummed in agreement and said: “I haven’t looked at this painting so much before. The more I look at it, the more it attracts me. Initially I liked his other works more, the striped ones, especially the ones with a lot of colour. I feel like they could give new life to a home.”

Victor looked at Yuuri, who was still staring at the painting.

 

They sat like this for a few minutes.

 

 

“Just because others were better, doesn’t mean your work wasn’t good, either.” Victor finally said.

Yuuri’s eyes met Victor’s, “Do you really think so?” Victor nodded with a re-assuring look in his eyes.

“I really do think so, so please don’t be discouraged. There will be people out there who look at your paintings and will feel the emotion you’re trying to convey, just like you do now with Masaaki’s works.” 

Yuuri felt the bona fides of his words and felt encouraged by them. He could feel the heaviness of his failure lift off his shoulders slowly. 

 

 

While they both had been drawn-in by the painting and the atmosphere it conveyed Phichit had silently been sneaking off after his visit to the toilet. Back in the park he took out his phone and texted Yuuri:

“Sorry!! :( 4got I still had an assignment due soon… that I… have to work on. ughh.. anyway have fun!! c u when u get home :3” 

 

 

“I think we can continue now Victor,” Yuuri said after he read the message, “Phichit bailed, he had some assignment to work on.”

Victor looked at Yuuri and raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but Yuuri only shrugged and smiled innocently.

“I’d gladly see some more of your favourite pieces.”

 

 

They both spent the afternoon in the museum, talking about their favourite artists and paintings, talking about the people that had inspired them. By the time they were done it was almost closing time, a quarter past five in the afternoon.

They decided to walk past the Shinobazu Pond and enjoy the sun that was just about to set soon. The Shinobazu Pond was framed by a massive amount of blooming cherry trees, behind them the city of Tokyo lighting up as the sky became darker. 

After walking for a while and chatting more about their childhood, their favourite musicians, paint and paintbrushes Yuuris stomach began to grumble. 

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” Victor asked and Yuuri hummed, “Hmm, Please, I’m starving.”

He took Yuuris hand and walked him quickly to a place called “Le Quattro Stagioni”.

It was an Italian restaurant with a very European feel to it. It was very cozy and was lit up outside with a lot of lights at night.

“I’ve only been here once, but the Pizza they served me was really amazing!” Victor exclaimed before they went inside. 

They both sat down in a quiet corner across from each other, a candle flickering between them. 

A waiter came with the menus “Good evening, welcome to Le Quattro Stagioni. Please take your time choosing from the menu, just call me whenever you’re ready,” he said smilingly.

One of Chopins piano pieces was playing faintly in the background.

“I like it here,” Yuuri said, “the staff seems very nice and the ambience is really cozy.”

“Hmm,” Victor agreed, as he browsed through the menu.

 

 

“Do you like pineapple on Pizza?” he suddenly asked Yuuri.

“Uhrm, if, well, sometimes. I have days when I liked it and days when I don’t.”  
“Hmm,” Victor once again hummed, seemingly in thought.

“Waiter!” he called out “We’re ready to order!”

Yuuri said flustered “I-I but I haven’t even looked through the menu, yet.”

“Just trust me on this one, I’ll pay. If you don’t like it, at least you’ll have tried it and we can order something else.”

The waiter came over, still smiling.“You’ve made your choice?”

“Yes,” Victor answered “We’d like the carbonara pizza with the 2008 Chatom Sémillon, please.”

“Both of you?” The waiter pointed with his pen at them both.

“Yes,” Victor said, nodding.

The waiter took the menu still in Yuuri’s hand and the one Victor had already folded on the table and walked away. 

 

Yuuri suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

“Victor, I admire your taste in art, but I’m not sure we share the same taste in food. I would’ve preferred if you had let me make my own choices.”

Victor looked down. After thinking about it for a few seconds he admitted:

“You’re right. I just got too excited and decided everything over your head. I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

Victor looked up and their eyes met again.

“Let’s hope I like it then,” Yuuri said, trying to sound a bit more cheerful. 

 

It had been a long time since Yuuri has last been eating out, he could barely remember how any other food but the cheapest kind of Ramen tasted, he wouldn’t let this opportunity go to waste by a bad moment.

They both sat there, in awkward silence, the candle light still flickering and Chopin playing softly in the background, continuing as if nothing had happened.

 

 

After minutes of painful silence, Victor finally said: “We’ve talked before you came to the university, right?”

Yuuri was about to answer him when he continued his thought: “I felt that same familiarity to your style of painting as you did with mine when I saw your submission for the contest. It was better, of course, but unmistakably yours. You were the kid I gave advice to all these years ago, didn’t I? There were barely any views, but something about it just pulled me in.”

Yuuri blushed. “You really remember that?” he asked Victor.

“Not consciously, no, but I did, when I saw your artwork. I was being pulled in the same way again, I could feel the emotion you were conveying so clearly, which is also why I was so surprised that you didn’t win. I guess,” Victor said, almost so deeply in thought it seemed like he was talking to himself now,

“what you need is practice in your technique. If you want, I can help you with that.”

Yuuri’s eyes were lighting up with joy. “You really mean that?” 

“Of course I do! I think you show so much potential, I’d love to help you.”

They agreed to meet on Sunday afternoons, which was the time they were both usually free.

While they were discussing the how’s and what’s of teaching Yuuri, the food arrived.

 

A delicious smelling Pizza, and as Yuuri learned, the most fitting wine. It was an amazing accumulation of tastes in his mouth, he was eating so fast he had barely any time to speak to Victor.

When he finished eating, Chopin had barely begun with the next piece and Victor was only half way done. He cut up the pizza, enjoyed every bite and slowly sipped on the wine. Filled to the brim with delicious food and wine Yuuri’s face started to blush.

Suddenly he could feel the glass of wine he had drunken, he was getting a bit giggly and giddy. He rested his elbows on the table, balanced his head in his hands and watched Victor as he finished eating his meal.

“You were right,” Yuuri admitted, “this was absolutely delicious. I can’t say any of the Ramen packets can add up to be this, no matter how much I tweak the recipe.” He giggled a little bit at his own words.

Victor looked at Yuuri’s increasingly silly behaviour and couldn’t help but smile.

Once he had finished, he paid for them both and took Yuuri outside to the fresh air and the blooming cherry trees. 

 

“It’s beautiful out here,” Yuuri said, “it’s almost as beautiful as you, Victor.”

The way Yuuri said this, without even hesitating, showed the bona fides of his words. 

They looked at each other, both a bit giddy from the wine. 

 

 

“We should go home, Yuuri.” 

Yuuri stretched out his hand, “Good, then show me the way home,” he demanded.

 

Victor took Yuuris hand and put it in the pocket of his coat.

The days were warm in spring, but the nights were still a little chilly sometimes.

 

“Let’s go,” Victor said and they both walked off, hand in hand in pocket, the lights of the city and the restaurant glistening in the pond as they walked off and through the park on their way back to the dorms.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Any ideas, words or rambles are appreciated in the comments below (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


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